Thanks especially for the last verse which helps an unsatisfactory ending, and the data from the papers. This suggests that the song as you give it mostly had little to with a professional performer, and that perhaps only the basic Billy Barlow idea for the piece came from the stage.

I remember something like 'portable soup' from hiking in the southern Rockies many years ago. I don't remember what it was called. We had canned cheese as well, and as the soup was diluting over a fire, we would add some of the cheese to improve (disguise) the flavor.